MLB all-time lists: Baserunning runs
The position of third base requires a multiplicity of skills. Power and a high average are highly valued, but so is defensive range.
The disparate positional needs also encompass baserunning ability and that skill varies widely among the contenders. The expansion era category leader produced 78 baserunning runs during his career, an exceptional total for any position. But the positional average is a nearly neutral 2.66, and 11 of the 30 candidates produced negative value due to their baserunning.
With that as an understanding, here are the top 10 players based on the number of baserunning runs they generated over the course of their careers.
| Player | Baserunning Runs |
|---|---|
| 1. Paul Molitor | 78 |
| 2. George Brett | 33 |
| 3. David Wright | 14 |
| 4. Scott Rolen | 12 |
| 5. Sal Bando | 11 |
| 6. Bill Madlock | 10 |
| 7. Anthony Rendon | 8 |
| 8. Josh Donaldson | 7 |
| 9. Terry Pendleton | 5 |
| 10. Six tied with 4 |
If Mike Schmidt’s dominance is questionable in any category, it is this one. His career baserunning score was minus-1, consigning him to 19th place on this list. That’s 17 places below his chief competitor for overall dominance, George Brett, and it offsets the advantage Schmidt accrued due to his fielding superiority.
But the category’s big winners are Paul Molitor and Scott Rolen, not surprisingly. Molitor – with 504 career steals and a success rate approaching 80 percent, is a runaway No. 1. Rolen’s 12 baserunning runs were accumulated during a 17-season career. In only six of those seasons did he produce a negative baserunning value.
Adrian Beltre and Chipper Jones, both of whom have rated highly in the previous categories, were among the six players tied for 10th in this category.